Type-writing machine



(No Model.)

J. G. GOWAN. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 494,977. Patented Apr. 4, 1893.

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which- To all whom it may con/cern.-

UNITED STATES JAMES CASSELLS COWAN,

TYPE-WRITIN OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

G. MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,977, dated April 4, 1893.

Application iiled July 5. 1892. Serial No. 4S 9,074- (No model.)

Be it known that I, .Latins CnssELLs CowAN, a resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Type-N'Vriting Machines, of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof,is a full and com plete description, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention is designed to form a part in the construction of those typewriters wherein an inked ribbon, properly mounted on roll ers or spools is automatically wound upon one of the rollers or spools in the operation of the typewriter from the other of such rollers or spools, the rollers or spools being placed in position on the typewriter so that the portion of the ribbon extending between them is underneath a longitudinally movable carriage, carrying paper, between such paper and 1the type letters contained on the type bars, whereby when such type bars are forced upward to a common center, or centers, the type thereon will strike against the under side of the inked ribbon and an impression of such type will be obtained upon the paper carried on the roller. Cf the typewriters wherein an inked ribbon of this character is employed which are well known in the trade the Remington, the caligraph and the Smith Premier may be cited.

The object of my invention is to obtain a device whereby when,in the operation of the machine, the inked ribbon has been substantially wound upon one of the rollers or spools provided therefor and thereby substantially unwound from the other of such rollers or spools the device actuating such rollers or spools shall be automatically disengaged from the one whereon the ribbon is wound and, put in engagement with the empty one, so that further operation of the typewriter will rewind the ribbon on the roller or spool from which it has been taken; and thereby to automatically alternate in the winding of the ribbon upon one or the other of the rollers or spools in the continuous operation of the typewriter.

Ihavc illustrated my invention by the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof as attached to a Remington typewriter, in

Figure l is a cross-sectional view of the frame and the top plate of a Remington typewriter, not showing the key bars attached thereto, the same forming no part of this invention,but showing the ink ribbon rollers or spools and the inlring ribbon in elevation; Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3,a sectional elevation on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4, a sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, also viewed in the direction of the ar rows.

The same letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts where more than one view thereof is shown. l

A, A, are the back posts of a Remington typewriter frame. B, B, indicate thetop plate of such Remington typewriter frame.

C, is a typewriter ribbon; and D, D', are the rollers or spools on which the ribbon is wound.

E, is a rotatable shaft having thereon beveled wheels e, e', adapted to alternately engage with the beveled wheels d, CZ on the shaft d2, d2, respectively, of the ribbon rollers or spools D, D. The ribbon rollers or spools D, D', shafts cl2 thereof, respectively, beveled gear wheels d, cl', shaft E and beveled gear wheels c, e on shaft E are of the same construction as is now and has heretofore been employed in the ribbon attachment of the Remington typewriter. The alternate engagement of beveled gear wheels e, e with beveled gear wheels (l and CZ', respectively, is by me, and has heretofore been, obtained by the longitudinal movement of the shaft E in its bearings E, E. l

From the foregoing, it will be readily understood that the purpose of my invention is to obtain the automatic, longitudinal movement of the shaft E, so as to disengage the one of the beveled gear wheels ou such shaft in engagement with the beveled gear wheel on the shaft of the one of the inking rollers or spools on which the ribbon is substantially wound as soon as such ribbon is so wound thereon, and at the same time to obtain the automatic engagement of the other one of the beveled gear wheels on the shaft E with the beveled gear wheel on the shaft of the other ribbon roller or spool. To obtain this result, I employ the following means: Legs A, A, and

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top B constitute a portion ,of the frame of the typewriter, such frame being hereinafter des.- ignated as frame A B. F, is a frame attached by a pivot f to bar G, such bar G having longitudinal movement on the typewriter frame A B, such longitudinal movement of bar G being determined by pin g in slotg. f', is an abutment on frame F; and f2, is a roller rotatably held in abutment f of the frame F. F, is a like frame as frame F pivotally attached by pivot f to a like longitudinal bar G. Frame F has an abutmentf therev on in which abutment the roller f2 is rotatably held. II, is a frame rigidly secured to type- Writer frame A B, by means of a set 4screw extending through hole h into post A of such typewriter frame A, B. I, is a lever pivoted at i to frame I-I. I', is an adjustable set screw extending through the pivoted lever I against the frame F; and I', is a hole in pivoted lever I through which connecting rod J extends. Connecting rod J is secured at one end to frame F, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and at the other end thereof is adjustably secured by means of nut J in pivot lever I. When the inkiug ribbon is wound upon one of the ribbon rollers or spools, as spool D, Fig. l, and is unwound from the other of such inking ribbons or spools, as spool D',

adjustable set screw I in pivot lever I, andV nut J on rod J are so set that the rollers f2, f2 in frames F, F', respectively, are held in contact with the periphery of the ribbon on spoolsD, D. When thus adjusted the rollers f2, f2, will be, at all times, in substantial contact with the periphery of the ribbon on such spools D, D', respectively, and by the winding of the ribbon upon either one of such spools and the unwinding of such ribbon from the other of such spools a swaying or turning movement will be produced in lever I on pivot 't'. When the ribbon is substantially all wound upon the spool D the pivotal lever I will have been swayed or turned to its extreme position to the left, (see Fig. 1,) by the roller f2 in frame F and when the ribbon is substantially all wound upon the spool D', such lever I will have been swayed or turned to its extreme position to the right by roller f2 in frame F and the connecting rod J extending from such frame F to and securedl in pivoted lever I by nut J. In order that the gradual swaying or turning of the lever I to the right and to the left may, when the extreme movement of such lever I in either direction has been attained, suddenly actuate the shaft E, and by moving it longitudinally engage the desired one of the beveled gear wheels e, e', and -disengage Vthe other one thereof from beveled gear wheels d, d', respectively, I interpose between the lever I and shaft E a spring mechanism and a clutch: the spring mechanism being adapted to have the spring thereof gradually put under tension by the movement of the lever I in either direction and the clutch holding the shaft E, in a given position until such clutch is released by the lever I when at its extreme point of movement. K,K, are springs mounted on the sleeves L, L', respectively. Sleeves L, L are mounted on shaft L2. One end of the pivoted lever I has therein the slot Z such slot extending around the .shaft L2 between the sleeves L, L. M, is a frame loosely mounted on sleeves L, L; and m, is a slot in frame M extending around groove m in shaft E. m2, m3, are notches in frame M. N, N', are dogs pivotally mounted on screw O. The dogs N,.N, respectively, have thereon the arms n, n', which are connected together by spring N2, and the teeth n2, n3 which are adapted to engage with the notches m2, m3, respectively. The upper face n4 of teeth n2, n2, respectively, when not engaged in such Vnotches 'm2, 'm3, are adapted to rest against 'the under side of the horizontal bar of the frame M, and in Fig. 4, the tooth n2 is shown as pressing against such under side of the horizontal bar of the frame M.

The operation of the lever I and the spring and clutch mechanism K, K, L, L M, N, N is, when `the end of the pivoted lever I extending around the shaft L2 is moved, (say,

- to the left in Fig. 4,) the extreme rightA end of the spring K is moved to the left, (the y,dog N preventing the frame M from moving to the left,) and the extreme left end of the spring abutting against the frame M and such spring K is thus compressed. When, however, such end of the lever I has moved to the left suficiently to strike the arm n of the dog N', such arm will be forced to the left and the tooth n3 on such lever N will be drawn downward out of the notch 'm3, (the yspring N2 being thereby extended and put under tension,) and when the tooth n3 is entirely withdrawn from the notch m2, by the continued movement of the end of the lever I, the frame will be moved to the` left by the spring K such spring being thereby released from its compression, and the tooth N2 of lever N being forced upward into the notch m2 of bar M by the spring N2. Bar M will then be held by the dog N from moving to the right until the lever I is moved a sufficient distance to the `rightto withdraw such dog n2 of lever N from such notch m2, at which time spring K will have been compressed by such lever I in the same manner as spring K was compressed, as described, and frame M will be returned to its initial position thereby, being the position illustrated in Fig. 4. The frame M in its movement to the right and left, it is evident, will move the shaft E longitudinally to the right and left in unison therewith by means of stop m in groove m of shaft E.

By the adjustment afforded in adjustable screw I and nut J I have found in practice, that I am able to so adjust the herein before described mechanism, that but very little of the ribbon will be contained on either one of the spools d, d', at the time of the releasing of the dogs N, N', as described, and the consequent longitudinal movement of the shaft E.

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It will be evident that rollers f2, f2, in abutments f f ,respectively,need not be rotatable in which case such roller would be properly termed a bar, but l prefer to have such roller rotatable.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a ribbon shifting mechanism for typewriters the combination of movable frames having abutments thereon, a roller in such abutments in contact with the periphery of the ribbon on the ribbon spools of the typewriter, a movable lever actuated to the right by one of such movable frames, and to the left by the other thereof, a longitudinally movable frame, springs interposed between bon spools of the typewriter; substantially as A described.

JAMES CASSELLS COWAN. Witnesses:

FLORA L. BROWN, DAvrD H. WILSON. 

